Clash eclipses the Galaxy

Published 4:00 am, Friday, September 27, 1996

SAN JOSE - It's a chant whose usefulness knows no boundaries. Take it out of the 'Stick and put it in Spartan Stadium, it works just the same. Any place is a good place to "Beat L.A."

The San Jose Clash did just that Thursday night. In front of 17,209 who drowned out the game's final seconds with that familiar chant, the Clash defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy, 1-0, in the first game of a best-of-three Major League Soccer playoff series. Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday at the Rose Bowl.

The Clash had a little payback on their minds after losing all four regular-season matches against L.A. They were also well aware that Galaxy coach Lothar Osiander had wanted to face San Jose in the first round after winning the Western Conference title. Osiander told several L.A. newspapers last week that he figured the Clash would be an easier opponent than Kansas City or Dallas.

"I loved it," Clash coach Laurie Calloway said of Osiander's comment. "It's not too difficult to psych your players up for a playoff game to begin with. And when a coach says that kind of stuff, it just gets you motivated even more. I was welcoming it."

Calloway also welcomed the Clash's two-game defensive resurgence after a slump that put San Jose in fourth place. He replaced Tom Liner with Dave Salzwedel in goal and that move paid immediate dividends. The Clash won their regular-season finale with a 1-0 shootout win over Kansas City and followed that with another blanking Thursday night.

"Coach gave me the nod in Kansas City and our defense has just played tremendous," said Salzwedel, who made seven saves against L.A. "We were fired up and our defense gave me the chance to make the stops."

Salzwedel's biggest stop came with two minutes remaining in the game. Jorge Campos, who started the game in goal for the Galaxy and later moved to forward, redirected a shot in front of the net with a sharp header. Salzwedel made a leaping catch, ending the Galaxy's last scoring threat.

Until the final 15 minutes, when L.A. buzzed around the San Jose goal in search of the equalizer, the Clash dominated the game. San Jose outshot the Galaxy, 10-3, in the first half and completely shut down L.A.'s star-studded forward group of Eduardo Hurtado, Cobi Jones and Mauricio Cienfuegos.

And San Jose's swift counter-attacks were giving L.A.'s slower defenders trouble. With nine minutes remaining in the first half, Tayt Ianni headed Eric Wynalda's cornerkick past Campos, giving San Jose the only goal it needed.

"They were all focused on John Doyle," said Ianni, who scored his first MLS goal after the Clash claimed him off waivers on July 2. "Eric just told me to get to the backpost. I was just standing there and there it was."

Ianni also did a number on his former UCLA teammate Jones, holding the dreadlocked speedster to just one weak shot early in the second half.

"Before the game, coach asked me if I could play against Cobi," Ianni said. "He said, "You know him and you know how to play him.' I just challenged him and stuck with him."

The Clash, who lost three times to L.A. by 2-1 scores during the regular season, now need just one more victory to advance to the conference finals. They know they will have to earn it in the cavernous Rose Bowl, where the wider pitch gives the Galaxy a distinct advantage. A third game, if necessary, also will be played in Pasadena on Wednesday.

"Certainly tonight's game we proved we were at least the equal of L.A.," said Calloway. "It was a good test of character for us and we came through. There's never been a doubt in my mind that we can beat L.A."